For the Home World I Hope to See One Day
by Valkyrie Shepherd
Summary: This one-shot short tells of what happens to Shepard's, crew, his ship and his lover, Tali, after he makes a fateful choice on the citadel.  written before "extended cut" DLC


***Author note***

I wrote this one for all the guy-Sheps out there. An ending for you too (provided you romanced Tali heh) In this ending the Shepard chose the destroy the reapers option. A lot of things are still unexplained, but here is what happened to dear Tali anyway. It might seem short, but it is supposed to be like a cinema scene from the game, if that helps.

Anyway, enjoy and feel free ti share as long as you credit me.

By the Home World I Hope to See One Day

Tali blinked awake, a dull ache in her ribs telling her that everything was not as it should be. The readout in her helmet blinked that she had multiple suit ruptures, but they were repaired. Her suit was flooding her system with antibiotics, as well as added medicines from an outside source. She blinked again and her screen cleared, allowing to her realize where she was. Laying on a bed, staring at the ceiling of the Normandy's med-bay. She sat up sharply, gasping, "Shepard!"

"Take it easy, Tali," Dr Chakwas' voice soothed as the human medic walked over and gently took Tali's shoulders.

Suddenly the ship gave a jarring lurch. Tali was almost thrown free of the bed. "Keela!" she yelped, sliding hurriedly to the floor to regain her balance. Her ribs protested, but she ignored the pain.

"Joker, what's happening?" Chakwas demanded of the intercom to the bridge.

"I don't know!" the pilot responded in a panicked voice. "EDI...EDI just collapsed. She's not responding to me at all. The ships bucking like a bronc and half the systems aren't responding because EDI was directly interfaced! God! Shit!" Joke kept swearing and Tali stopped playing attention to him. Her thoughts weren't collecting properly, she felt dazed. She scanned the med-bay. In the bed opposite her Javik was laying with Liara, who was cradling the prothean's head in her lap. The asari's face was tear stained.

"What happened? Taki demanded of anyone who was listening. The last thing she remembered she had been at Shepard's side, charging a reaper and dodging the deadly blasts from it's main weapon. Then there was an explosion of deafening noise and flying debris. After that, nothing.

The ship shook again as Dr. Chakwas tried to explain. "Javik got you to a shuttle after you were hit by that reaper weapon. From what I could gather from his injuries he shielded you from the blast with his own body. You still sustained a few cuts and bruised ribs, but he protected you from the worst."

"Is he?" Tali questioned in a quiet voice.

"He died shortly after the shuttle managed to get into the hanger," Chakwas looked pained.

Tali swallowed and asked the question that was making her heart beat so hard it felt like it would explode out of her chest; "Shepard?"

"He didn't make it back," Liara answered, lifting her head for a moment, "Neither did Garrus or Kaiden."

The ship gave another horrible lurch and Joker's voice broke in over the comm. "Everyone hold on to something, we're going down!"

"What?" Tali had time to splutter before she was pitched forward into Chakwas.

The collision was jarring and alarms sounded, the ship's fire control blasting into action and putting out flames that were erupting everywhere. Then it was over. Everything was extremely and eerily still.

Tali, Chakwas and Liara climbed through the ship to the bridge where they saw the limp form of Samantha Traynor, slumped against her console. Further up was Joker's seat, which was abandoned, and EDI in her co-pilot spot, completely unmoving and seemingly dead. Tali would have worried about Joker's absence, but she noted that the main airlock was open. The three turned and went outside.

Outside. Tali's helmet gave her readings, but she wasn't sure what to make of them. This planet they had crashed on was green, lush, alive. Still, her readings told her that it had all the making of earth. Earth, which she had previously encountered covered from horizon to horizon in reapers and rubble. Her helmet must have taken a blow, she thought. Joker was a little further down the gangplank. He was sitting with his head in his hands. She could hear him speaking quietly between silent sobs. "...Shepard's damn ship...again...He'll never forgive me this time."

Tali had to grab the bulkhead for support as Chakwas and Liara passed her and moved to comfort Joker. Tali's head mind was blurring. She felt dizzy and sick. Her suit blinked vague alarms at her, which she ignored. Shepard. The man who had rescued her all those years ago on the Citadel. The man who understood about her father. Who had held her, loved her, even if they were so very different. He had understood her and she him. And now, he was gone.

Tali turned back to the ship. She walked through the Normady, able to picture the faces of her crew through the years. XO Pressly. Kelly Chambers. Mordin Solus. John Shepard. She wasn't sure how she ended up in his quarters, but there she was. The door was open. Some malfunction of the fire prevention protocols. Tali walked in. Somehow the fish tank was still intact. In fact, his quarters looked almost untouched. A few things were tipped and overturned. Some of his model ships where on the floor and...she bent down and picked up the frame. His tags. He had told her Liara had found them for him.

Tali let out a little sob, pulling the tags free of the frame, past the broken glass front. She walked over to the bed, laying the tags on his pillow. She pulled off her face mask, breathing in his smell. Her system was used to Shepard. She could breath him in. With the desperation of one being choked Tali ripped off her head covering, her dark hair falling around her shoulders. She was well and truly crying now. She lay down beside his tags, her hair framing her pale face. "I'm sorry Shepard," she said, "I should have been with you. If I had been able to choose, I would have died with you. You did it though. You must have done it. You saved us, just like you promised. Just like you always do."

She lay for several more minutes, letting her tears carve perfect rivers down her cheeks, so unused to the open air. Then her tears stopped. She lay, looking at his ceiling, and for a moment it felt for all the world as though he were beside her. Desperately she clung to that feeling. His strong presence at her side. Encouraging her. Encouraging her to do what? "Shepard, what do I do now? Where do I go?"

She pictured him there, thinking of how he would reply. _You're a strong leader Tali. Everything is pretty messed up right now. Everyone needs you._

"You know I hated being an admiral. I don't know what to do." she said, blinking a few lingering tears from her lashes.

_When the time comes, you'll know what to do. I did._

"I'm not you, Shepard. I'm not strong like you."

_Of course you are, Tali. You know what needs to be done. You can see this through. Other races are trapped here, they'll need your help, your guidance. The crew will look to you as well. I can't be here, but I know you can do it._

"Keela, Shepard," she breathed wearily, exhausted from crying and her injuries. "All I ever wanted to do was retire back to the home world with you. Build a house. Make something beautiful."

_This is the home world Tali, _said Shepard._ Make it something beautiful. And remember Tali, I'll always be here. Whenever you need me._

She lay still for a while longer, but she couldn't sense him any more. She felt empty and alone, yet at the same time the tiniest fluttering of hope came like a warm kiss to her mind and heart. Shepard would never want her to despair. He believe that she was strong and maybe she could be. For him.

She stood up. Picking up his tags, she pulled them over her head, taking a moment to look down at them with eyes unclouded by her mask. Then she pulled her headdress and helmet back into place, once hand still clasped around the tags. "You should know Shepard," she said quietly, turning to take in his room one last time, "anyplace we would go, from the seediest holes in the galaxy, to gorgeous vistas, none of them were Rannoch, but you made them home. Keelah se'lai , Shepard. _You_ are the home I hope to see one day."

Then she strode out of his cabin, unsure, but filled with hope.


End file.
